Meet Our Staff

Tammie Robinson

Office Administrator &
Envirothon Coordinator

Tammie has spent her entire professional career with the Indiana County Conservation District which began in 1984. She provides administrative support to the staff on programs, projects and human resources. In addition to administrative work, Tammie serves passionately as the Envirothon Coordinator for both Junior and Senior High students. She oversees annual fundraising for Envirothon scholarships that currently has raised nearly $40,000 to assist Indiana County students with post-secondary education costs. In her spare time, Tammie enjoys travelling to state and national parks, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Nancy Clawson

Office Assistant

Nancy began working part time for the District in 2019. She provides assistance for a variety of office tasks. Her interests include nature walks and gardening, as well as reading and yoga. Her idea of a perfect day would include camping in the mountains, horseback riding at dawn, walking trails in the afternoon, and reclining by the campfire at night while gazing up at the stars. She and her husband enjoy camping with family and friends, and they cherish any time they are with their two grandsons.

Brooke Russick

Conservation Program Manager

Brooke is a homegrown Indiana County girl graduating from Blairsville High School. She started with the District as an Americorps VISTA in 2013 where she supported the Conservation District, Crooked Creek Watershed Association, and Evergreen Conservancy with watershed projects. She joined ICCD as full-time staff in 2014 as the Watershed Specialist, eventually finding her niche in the Dirt, Gravel, Low Volume Road Program in 2018. Brooke provides full administrative and technical support for the DGLVR program for Indiana County. In her spare time, you can find her in the midst of home improvement projects, visiting micro-breweries, hiking, cooking, and enjoying family time.

Marisa Matlin

Conservation Program Specialist (Ag and Permitting Programs)

Even though Marisa has only been at the District since July of 2021, she has a long history of agriculture involvement. Growing up on her family’s beef operation in Salix, a small town in Cambria County, allowed her to develop a passion for this industry.  While in highschool she participated in 4-H where she showed steers and market lambs.  After graduating, she attended Wilmington College in Ohio and pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy with a minor in Sustainability.  In college, she was actively involved in the Agronomy Club, Collegiate 4-H, Aggies, IHSA Equestrian Team, Agriculture Future of America, and Ag Policy & Law.  Her duties at the District are focused around providing technical support for farmers throughout the county.  In her spare time, she enjoys going on adventures with her friends and spending time with her animals.

Benjamin (Ben) Wenger

Conservation Program Specialist (Watershed Programs)

Ben is a South Jersey native with a family history in environmental education. Being so close to the Jersey shore, he grew his love for aquatic environments at a young age. Ben further fostered his passion for conservation and education at the Center for Aquatic Sciences in Camden, NJ. In 2020, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in General Biology, as well as a minor in Marine Science, from Pennsylvania State University. Ben then pursued a Master’s in Environmental Education at Slippery Rock University, while also interning as a Field Volunteer at Berks Nature during his last semester. His duties at the District include providing technical support for watershed programs. In his spare time, you can find him playing with his dog, cooking and trying new foods, and traveling.

Mackenzie Marbain

Conservation Program Specialist (ACAP)

Mackenzie is originally from southeast Virginia, but recently moved back to the east coast to be closer to family after spending four years in Colorado. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Mary Washington (UMW). While attending UMW, she realized her passion for sustainable agriculture and land management, and has spent the last four years working on trail-building crews, a wildland fire crew, and on organic vegetable farms. At the District, she is primarily working with the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program. In her free time, Mackenzie enjoys camping and hiking, going to see live music, practicing herbalism, and traveling.

Alexis (Lexi) Shank

ACAP Coordinator

Alexis is an Indiana County native. She holds a BS in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, has nearly a decade of farming experience, and for the past 7 year has run an organic, no-till, diversified vegetable farm in Commodore, PA. Alexis has extensive knowledge of plant and soil science, bio-intensive cropping systems, cover cropping, integrative pest management, and high tunnel crop production. In her spare time, you can find her listening to music, hiking, kayaking, reading, cooking, traveling, and working on her farm.

Blake Mauthe

Watershed Project Coordinator

Blake is an AmeriCorps member serving with the Indiana County Conservation District. He is also an avid lover of the outdoors and enjoys sharing that love with all. After an internship at Yellow Creek State Park, he learned his love for teaching about the outdoors, nature, and all that it can provide for us mentally, physically, and economically. He specifically has a love for the water and how important it is to all of us. While receiving a bachelor's degree in ecology and conservation biology at IUP he has learned the importance of management practices, teamwork, community involvement and education, and how these are some of our greatest tools in facing our environmental and social hardships.

Allison Smith

Conservation Coordinator

Allison is an AmeriCorps member serving the Conservation District and Evergreen Conservancy this year. She received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science at Saint Vincent College in 2022. Allison spent the past year teaching outdoor education in the California redwoods. She loves seeing students' curiosity in nature. In her spare time, she enjoys being outside hiking, kayaking, or hammocking.